Let it Rain! …and Cover Girl
It has been a little over a month since we all landed in our new home on the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula. I’ve been doing some more research into my mother’s Swedish side of the family, because I found a branch of the family tree that lived in this area. In addition, there is a historic area just up the road called Swansonville, founded by Swedes in the 19th century. My maternal grandmother was a Swanson, and you may recall the trip I took to Sweden with my daughter pre-pandemic….a Swedish fiddle and folk music 2 week tour that made me realize a lot of my mom’s family customs came from the old country. In fact, the lush green forest and deep blue waters remind me of that trip….it feels so familiar. My parents grew up in the Pacific Northwest – in Oregon – which is part of the familiarity. But I have to say my heart opens in this dense verdant landscape full of wildlife.
When we went house hunting, Paul and I each had our own short list of ‘must haves’ in a new home. For me, it was a space for a studio, and a view of the water, if not a waterfront home. I got everything on my short list, and every day my joie de vivre expands as we experience this new life adjacent to Mother Nature. We live facing a small bay, in a village of 3000 people scattered along the shore and the forest. There is no Taco Bell or McDonalds here. There is, however, a local quilt group that meets weekly, and 3 art quilt groups in the region, and tomorrow I am going to visit the quilt museum in La Conner. More on all of that later….
Instead, we have blue herons and bald eagles flying back and forth in front of the house all day. Kingfishers are trilling and hummingbirds are humming. There are river otters and seals in the water. There is a raccoon den in the rocks by the shore beneath us. And a solitary orca swam in front of our home twice in the first two weeks here. Deer wander through the neighborhood. We hear there is a cougar, and sometimes a bear in the vicinity. Fine with me. I haven’t seen the coyotes yet, but they are here.
All of this feels like such a treasure chest of natural and wild delights. I sit at our front window and never tire of watching the tides, the morning fog, the clouds rolling by, the sunrise and the moonrise reflected on the bay….rising behind a silhouette of trees across the bay. It is also a birdwatcher’s paradise.
Today the first chilly rainstorm has rolled in, and we are just loving the moodiness of a rainy day. After living in Colorado where the drought and fires and air quality are worse each year….the fresh cool air here is a balm.
My knee injury is taking longer to heal than I would like, so I am still working through the process of unpacking and organizing the house, and the studio. However the creative juices are building up and I can’t wait to see what explodes out once the studio is up and running.
In the meantime, today I can share some very exciting news.
My quilt “Papa Bear” which won 2 awards in the Hoffman Challenge recently, is on the cover of the new Quilting Arts Magazine! (Fall 2026) I submitted images of my several bear quilts, and my creative process, and wrote an article for them.
About month ago I got an email from the editor, giving me a heads up that one of the bears had been chosen for the COVER. Wow!
I am so honored, and of course encouraged to pursue this line of textile art ideas. With all of the threats to endangered species and wilderness lands, I want to continue to be a voice for those with no voice and no power.
I hope you will pick up or order a copy of this beautiful anniversary edition, with so many other amazing artists featured as well!
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